An Iraqi school teacher helps distribute school supplies to Iraqi children at the Jadeeda Primary School near Hawijah in the Kirkuk province of Iraq, Oct. 28. The supplies were provided by families of Soldiers from 1/8th Cav., 2BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Douglas, 1st Cavalry Division.

KIRKUK

The supplies were donated by families of Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.

According to 1st Lt. Sean Spencer, a Sierra Vista, Ariz., native and civil projects officer with 1/8th Cav., this school was selected during a previous visit to the village.

"[We] visited with the village mukhtar, and decided the children needed it," Spencer said.

But more importantly, Spencer said this was also an opportunity for the students and teachers to see the IA and Iraqi Police getting involved with their community and showing they were there for them.

Ahmed Deab, the village mukhtar, said the supplies were great and that it helps to encourage the students to study more and builds upon the relationship they have with the IA.

"We have a good relationship with the IA in the area," Deab said. "The IA come to the village whenever something happens or there is a problem."

The school headmaster, Motar Kalaf, says the supplies are a welcome addition to his school and believes the supplies will also help motivate his students to learn.

"We've received a lot of supplies from the [Iraqi] education office, but this delivery will also help encourage the students to learn," Kalaf said.

Second Lt Abdul Hadi Faisal, an IA officer with the 46th IA Bde., passed around school supplies during the visit and was happy to see the students excited.

"It's great, it makes them happy," he said.

Faisal said interacting with the students and providing these supplies helps alleviate any fears the students might have about the IA.

During the visit, Deab and Kalaf also relayed some issues they had with their school. The two men both indicated that one of the school's structures was failing, there is a lack of consistent electrical power, and the road leading to the school was in need of repair. They would also like to have a secondary school built in the village since the Jadeeda Primary School only teaches up to grade six.

"The school is old and we would like to have a secondary school because the older children have to go to Hawijah to attend secondary school," Deab said.

And as far as the road, Kalaf explained the teachers traveled from Kirkuk city, some distance away, so when weather was particularly bad it made travel on the road difficult, often keeping teachers from making the trip to the village.

According to Spencer, these issues and others were already in the process of being addressed.

"Many of the buildings are dilapidated," Spencer said.

Spencer said additions to the school were also part of that consideration since the school currently seats 150 students, 55 more than it was built for.

"We have considered nominating the school for a reconstruction project."

While Spencer's unit is nearing its redeployment date from Iraq, he assured the project would not be forgotten about and the replacing unit would pick up where they left off.

(By Staff Sgt. Jason Douglas, 1st Cavalry Division)